Woman rescued hiking in the Franklin Mountains

By Evan Mohl \ El Paso Times

Posted:
03/03/2013 12:20:22 AM MST

Reporter Evan Mohl

It took 21 members of a search and rescue team more than three hours to rescue a 38-year-old woman who sprained her ankle hiking in the Franklin Mountains near Wyler Aerial Tramway, fire officials said Saturday.

The rescue team has reached the woman and is in the process of bringing her down the mountain.

The woman was hiking with her husband, 43, and daughter, 9. The family strayed 30 minutes off the trail when the woman sprained her ankle and could no longer walk, fire department spokesman George De La Torre said.

The rescue team had to wheel the woman down. It took much longer than usual because of darkness and the family was so far off the trail that there was no clear pathway, De La Torre said.